Whether degrees should be modeled as simple semantic primitives or ontologicallycomplex entities has been an issue in recent formal semantic research. This article aims tomake a contribution to this scholarly enterprise by investigating the Differential VerbalComparative (DVC) construction in Chinese. DVCs exhibit peculiar properties : (i)obligatory differentials, and (ii) DPs as differentials(e.g., liang ben xiaoshuo ‘two CL novel’).We propose that a degree is the entity correlate of a property that is formed on the basis of ameasure, akin to Chierchia-style kind. This new kind of degree, coupled with a differencefunction-based semantics for comparatives, correctly predicts the behaviors of DVCs whichwould otherwise remain formally inscrutable. This article’s contributions are twofold: (i) itprovides direct support for the degree-as-kind analysis by extending its empirical scope; and(ii) by combining degrees as kinds with a difference function-based semantics, it representsan improvement over the previous degree-as-kind analysis based on linear ordering.Keywords: comparatives, degrees, kinds, Mandarin Chinese, differential verbalcomparatives.

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